Santa Barbara Blog has reached a great achievement in these days: 30.000 visitors! I really don’t know how to thank you all. You grew more and more, that makes me happy and gives me more incentive to continue with it  and do it better. I am not happy for me. I am happy because even though 19 years are passed from the cancellation of SB, the interest in this show is still high and it continues to grow. As I have already said, I promise to you a 2012 full of Santa Barbara with new exclusive interviews, trivia about the show, the announcement of the winner of SB Disaster of the Month Contest and much more.

I would like to update you on Bridget Dobson. I'm interviewing her. She has already answered my first questions. Her answers are honest, sincere and very attractive. They are pure Dobson, get ready to some shocking revelations! I struggle to stop myself to reveal to you something ..... but I can’t. After more than twenty years, Bridget Dobson has decided to talk about herself, here on Santa Barbara Blog. Don’t are you in seventh heaven? I have reached the Nirvana!

Thank you all for your attention.

EXCLUSIVE AND UNUSUAL INTERVIEW WITH GREGORI J. MARTIN

(Creator, writer, director and producer of the indie series THE BAY)

 

Today I’m presenting to you the interview that Gregori J. Martin has granted exclusively to "Santa Barbara Blog". Gregori J. Martin is an award winning, record-breaking director, having directed seven feature motion pictures by the age of 30.  Mr. Martin is currently involved in his tenth feature film, THE SOUTSHIDE. Under LANYfilms, his newly formed productions company, Martin is the creator, producer, and director of the highly popular independent serial drama THE BAY, a new online series starring a roster of iconic daytime and primetime television stars.  THE BAY was recently featured in the issue of TV Guide Magazine as Top Shows Worth Watching this 2010/2011.  Martin was awarded the 2011 WE LOVE SOAPS Indie Award for OUTSTANDING DIRECTING for his work on THE BAY. In the cast of this wonderful series we can find Lane Davies, Jed Allan and Nicolas Coster, our beloved Mason, CC and Lionel from Santa Barbara.

During this interview we will examine the daytime soap operas and especially "Santa Barbara". Your  soaps came to Italy in the 80’s. Capitol, Loving, Santa Barbara, B & B and Guiding Light were the most successful. In Italy the other soaps have been resounding failures and they aired briefly. Capitol, Loving and SB aired until their last episodes. B&B and GL still airing here. How can you explain these differences between our ratings and yours? 

That's a really good question.  While I have never tuned into Capitol, I totally understand why shows like Loving and Santa Barbara were successful in Italy.  My family is from Italy.  I'm first generation Italian and I can understand the culture and the passion that drives most Italians.  Both Santa Barbara and Loving were filled with that passion.  That sense of culture.  It's certainly bigger and more relatable then some of the other daytime soaps.  I think my series THE BAY is following in those same footsteps.

SB began in 1984 and it ended in 1993. Throughout its existence, it remained at the bottom of ratings, but it has won year after year, huge critical acclaim: with 24 Emmys and several Soap Opera Digest Award. I remember clearly the first episode: the murder of the young Channing Jr., the humor of Dame Judith Anderson (Minx), the natural talent of the wonderful Robin Wright (Kelly Capwell) ... All in one episode! I stood thunderstruck! In your opinion, why did the show have such few viewers? 

You know, I think audience comes with time.  Most daytime soaps last 30 to 40 years.  Santa Barbara only lasted 9.  Had the powers that be stuck together and the networks pushed for the show, in my humble opinion, it would have been a phenomenal success.  The Bold & the Beautiful which is currently the shortest running daytime drama is a perfect example of that.  I just believe due to some unforeseen dramas behind the scenes, that show was let go a lot sooner than it should have been.  It wasn't a cheap show to produce either.

Personally I don’t care about the ratings, I look at the quality, the soul of a product. SB was bursting with soul! From the beginning, the dramatic tension to solve the murder of Channing Capwell jr. was balanced by the lightness of the younger characters (the misadventures of Ted, Laken, Jade and Danny in Hollywood) and especially the bickering between vitriolic Minx (Dame Judith Anderson) and Augusta (Louise Sorel). This was perfection for me. On other soaps everything seems to be tedious and "already seen". What do you think about that? 

Well, I am a big fan of Another World for it's sense of humble family dynamics.  It was great to see a show that centered around middle class families instead of the  higher, upper class ones.  It also carried a sense of warmth and was helmed by one hell of a cast.  With Wendy Riche as Executive Producer of General Hospital and Claire Labine as headwaiter, that show tackled some heart-felt and heart-warming tragic stories that kept you glued to your TV's.  Santa Barbara on the other hand, was edgy, sharp, explosive… they often took you on an exciting roller coaster ride, filled with suspense, trauma, excitement and peppered with lots of humor.  It was my favorite show, and a true inspiration to my new series THE BAY.

N. Coster and L. Davies on The Bay

In my opinion the Dobsons are very brilliant. They have created characters such as Mason for example. I think he was one of the most complex and most complete characters on daytime. Do you agree with me? 

Oh certainly.  I've heard wonderful things about the Dobsons.  I've never met them.  But Mason was one of my favorite characters on a daytime soap.  In fact, I thought all three actors who played the part were outstanding, but there was something a little extra special about Lane Davies.  I had to have him on THE BAY.  He's wonderful as Detective Mackenzie Johnson.

In your opinion, what made SB unique and special? Do you believe that SB will remain in history? For what? 

I think I've mentioned several reasons why Santa Barbara is so special.  So unique.  It had a masculine sense that lured in male audiences.  General Hospital started that with the Luke and Laura days and I think SB picked that theme right up and conquered it.  It has certainly gone down in history.

Kelly Capwell' recast

What did you like most about SB? What did you not like about SB? Which are the main negative criticism that you would say about SB? 

I think the main problem with Santa Barbara is they had too many recasts.  It was new and fresh and I think a lot of the talent that joined the show expected a lot.  I heard some diva stories from some personal SB friends of mine that I'll keep hush, but that, and the fact that the PTB couldn't find a happy medium MOST of the time, caused its demise.  That's probably my biggest negative criticism.  Had they only gotten along behind the scenes, we could still be watching SB today :)

Can you tell us which were the best storylines in your opinion? and the worst? 

Well, anything having to do with Robin Wrights Kelly Capwell.  They wrote some wonderful material for her.  Her love for Joe, his struggle to win her back, his death on their wedding night.  All great classic storytelling.  I certainly loved the Capwells and Lionel (Nicolas Coster) was the perfect nemesis.  His chemistry with both Robin (Gina) and Louise (Augusta) was just breathtaking.

Another reason that made me fall in love with SB is that SB was not afraid to take risks and to dare. For example, when they decided to kill Mary crushing her with a big C. Mary was a much beloved character at that time and a soap generally tends to use their beloved characters until the end. And then I think about when Eden was raped by Zack (Leigh McCloskey), the gynecologist who examined her after the rape. What do you think? 

Those are two perfect examples of epic story telling.  Santa Barbara was classic indeed!

Then the Dobsons came back in 1991. The spirit of SB seemed to be reborn, but the following year they left again. I have not yet figured out if they left or if they were fired again. If they decided to leave, or why they did it? 

I don't know if I could answer this question fairly.  I've never worked on SB and was not there to see.  It's sad when the PTB can't find happy grounds.

Some actors who made their debut on a soap do not deny their past (such as Julianne Moore), while others seem to be ashamed of it (Robin Wright). I love Robin Wright, but in a recent interview she seemed annoyed by the questions related to SB. The fans suffer this kind of attitude / approach...What do you think? 

Well, I certainly agree actors should be proud of where they came from.  I think Robin has come a long way from the soap world.  And has grown immensely as an actress.  I'm sure if she has any ill-willed feelings toward the show, it could possibly be in her acting chops then in comparison to what she has to offer now.  I'm a big fan of Robin and her work.  I'm really not sure what her feelings are toward SB, but I'm sure she's smart enough to appreciate her roots as an artist.

In the USA “Santa Barbara”  always remained at the bottom of the ratings. In the rest of the world and especially in Europe it has had excellent ratings. Furthermore, despite having low ratings, it has been the most award-winning soap and still there are dozens and dozens of sites dedicated to this soap, unlike the other soaps cancelled. How do you explain this? 

Again, I think it just may be a difference in style, culture.  There was something more passionate, more culture-driven about SB.  And I certainly believe the US is not as passionate or culture driven as most foreign countries.  Just my opinion.

In the last three years four soaps have been canceled and since 1999 no new soap has been produced. It's 'obvious that the soap genre is in steep decline. I do not think the fault is the high production costs and the success of reality shows. The main fault in my opinion is that the soaps have not been able to reinvent themselves. They have been the same for decades. Following what circumstances does it come time to cancel a soap? 

Well, I'm not sure about this.  I personally believe soaps haven't been given the attention they deserve by the powers that be.  In recent years the networks found cheaper ways to produce products that folks will watch and so they ran with that.  It all started with the O.J Simpson trial.  The case was broadcast on television and folks were glued to their screens.  The PTB saw that and ran with it.  They found in their sense of the word "creative" ways to save money by producing court shows, reality shows and products that were overall cheaper to produce and so little by little they let go of their desires to continue putting money into the scripted daytime drama formats.  However THE BAY is still kicking and we will do everything we can to bring you quality drama with some of your favorite stars from Santa Barbara, The Bold & the Beautiful and all the other classic soaps of today and yesterday.

And now few quick questions: Which is your favorite soap of all time?

Santa Barbara, Another World, General Hospital for the reasons mentioned above.  And of course THE BAY.

And the best soap ever? 

Santa Barbara in my humble opinion.  And now THE BAY...

The worst? 

It's hard to say which is the worst.  They all have their up and down moments.  Passions IMO.  Just wasn't my cup of tea.

The most overrated soap? 

Again, probably Passions.  Honestly, I never quite understood Passions.  It had an audience though so who am I to judge.

The most underrated? 

Well first to come to mind for me is "Generations."  It was a very short lived soap on NBC.  It centered around a core black family.  It was a different time then today and I think at that particular time the networks weren't ready to invest into a show centered around core black characters or shall I say, changed their minds.  I can't be certain because I wasn't their but I think it wasn't given a chance.  Loving is also often overlooked here in the states.

Now can you tell us something that has never been told about SB? something spicy: antipathy between the actors? tensions of which has not been discussed? Anything you want to share, even the smallest details ... 

I'm sorry, I'm going to have to plead the 5th again.  For the most part most of the actors I know and have become friendly with today have been very respectful to one another and have not spread any nasty rumors or gossip.. That's a special trait.

Do You think that one day SB will re-run on TV or on DVD? 

That would be nice.  I think once they get their music rights sorted out, it's a huge possibilities.  To my understanding that's their biggest problem at the moment.  I'm sure amongst others that I'm not aware of.

Gregori, you created a wonderful indie-soap: “The Bay”, a worldwide success! Now it will run its second season. Can you talk about your soap for the few of us who have not seen the first season. What will happen in the second season? 

Well, I plan to reunite a couple of Santa Barbara favorites.  That's certainly a plus for those reading this I'm sure.  The show will revolve around a core family, like SB, it will be filled with passion, culture, love, romance, excitement and will be very explosive.  My goal is to create characters that lure in the audience (I have the perfect actors to do so) and to keep the fans enthralled, like Santa Barbara, with epic storytelling.  You can log onto our website for more details and watch Season One and Two, by clicking here.

This interview is designed primarily for the Italian public. In our country, “Santa Barbara” was very much loved and followed. Have you ever been to Italy? What do you know about our country? Do You want to say something to the Italian public? 

Yes.  I know a part of the Italian culture.  I'm a proud first generation Italian.  My father was born in Calabria Italy and I have lots of family who still reside there.  Though I've never been to Italy it's on the top of my list of places I NEED to see.  It's exciting for me to know that Italian's are watching THE BAY.  Italy, from what I've gathered is a BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL country!  I can't wait to visit!

Thanks so much Gregori for your kindness. And now a little bit of THE BAY.

INTERVISTA ESCLUSIVA ED INUSUALE CON GREGORI J. MARTIN

(Autore, regista e produttore della serie tv THE BAY)

Oggi vi presento l'intervista che Gregori J. Martin ha concesso in esclusiva a "Santa Barbara Blog". Gregori J. Martin è un pluripremiato regista e ha diretto sette film a partire dall’all'età di 30 anni. Il signor Martin è attualmente impegnato nel suo decimo lungometraggio, THE SOUTSHIDE. Con la LANYfilms, la sua nuova società di produzione, Martin è il creatore, produttore, e regista del serial drama indipendente e molto popolare THE BAY, una nuova serie on-line con protagonista un cast di vere e proprie icone del mondo delle soap e del prime time. THE BAY è stato recentemente proposto da TV Guide Magazine nella top ten dei programmi che vale la pena di guardare. Martin si è aggiudicato l’Indie Award 2011 di WE LOVE SOAPS per la migliore regia per la serie THE BAY. Nel cast di questa splendida serie noi possiamo trovare Lane Davies, Jed Allan e Nicolas Coster, i nostri amati Mason, CC e Lionel di Santa Barbara.

Pier: Durante questa intervista esamineremo il mondo delle soap opera e soprattutto "Santa Barbara". Le vostre soap sonoarrivate in Italia negli anni 80. Capitol, Quando si ama, Santa Barbara, Beautiful e Sentieri sono stati quelli di maggior successo. Qui da noi le altre soap si sono rivelate essere fallimenti clamorosi e sono andate in onda brevemente. Capitol, Quando si ama e SB sono state trasmesse fino all’ultimo episodio. Beautiful è la sola soap ancora in onda. Come spiegheresti queste differenze tra i nostri ed i vostri ascolti?

Gregori: Questa è davvero un’ottima domanda. Anche se non ho mai seguito Capitol, posso perfettamente capire il motivo per cui show come Quando si ama e Santa Barbara hanno avuto successo in Italia. Io ho origini italiane, quindi in qualche modo conosco la cultura e le passioni del pubblico italiano. Sia Santa Barbara che Quando si ama erano piene di quelle passioni. Di quella particolare cultura. E certamente molto di più e in modo più facilmente riconoscibile di alcune altre soap opera. Credo che la mia serie, THE BAY, stia proseguendo su quello stesso percorso.

SB è iniziata nel 1984 e si è conclusa nel 1993. Nel corso della sua esistenza, è rimasta sul fondo del classifica degli ascolti, ma ha conquistato anno dopo anno un enorme successo di critica: vincendo ben 24 Emmy e numerosi Soap Opera Digest Awards. Io ricordo chiaramente il primo episodio: l'uccisione del giovane Channing Jr., l'umorismo di Dame Judith Anderson (Minx), il talento naturale della splendida Robin Wright (Kelly Capwell) ... Tutto in un episodio! Rimasi folgorato! Secondo te, perché lo spettacolo ebbe poco seguito in patria?

Sai, penso che il pubblico arrivi con il tempo. La maggior parte delle soap sono in onda da 30 o 40 anni. Santa Barbara è durata solo 9 anni. Se chi di dovere avesse dimostrato maggiore attaccamento allo show e se la NBC avesse fatto una migliore promozione dello show, a mio modesto parere, SB sarebbe stata un successo fenomenale. Beautiful, che è attualmente la soap di minore durata, è un esempio perfetto di questo. Credo che SB sia stata lasciata andare molto prima di quanto avrebbe dovuto, solo a causa di alcuni drammi imprevisti accaduti dietro le quinte. Era uno show piuttosto costoso da produrre.

Personalmente non mi curo molto degli indici di ascolto,  io guardo la qualità, l'anima di un prodotto. SB era piena zeppa di anima! Fin dall'inizio, la tensione drammatica per risolvere l'omicidio di Channing Capwell jr. era bilanciata dalla leggerezza dei personaggi più giovani (le disavventure di Ted, Laken, Jade e Danny a Hollywood) e soprattutto i battibecchi al vetriolo tra Minx (Dame Judith Anderson) e Augusta (Louise Sorel). Questa era la perfezione per me. In altre soap tutto sembra essere noioso e "già visto". Cosa ne pensi?

Beh, io ero un grande fan di Destini per la presenza al suo interno di famiglie di umili origini. Era bello guardare questa soap incentrata su famiglie della classe media, invece che sulle classiche famiglie ricche e facoltose. Trasmetteva un senso di calore umano e poteva contare su di un cast eccezionale. Riche Wendy (produttore esecutivo di General Hospital) e Claire Labine (sceneggiatore capo), hanno saputo creare alcune tragiche, commoventi e sincere storie che riuscivano a tenerti incollato alla TV. Santa Barbara d'altra parte era frizzante, tagliente, esplosiva ... spesso ti portava a fare un emozionante giro sulle montagne russe, ricco di suspense, traumi, emozioni e condito con un sacco di humor. Era il mio show preferito  ed è una vera ispirazione per la mia nuova serie THE BAY.

N. Coster & L. Davies on The Bay

A mio parere i Dobson sono scrittori eccezionali. Hanno dato vita a personaggi come Mason, per esempio. Credo che fosse uno dei personaggi più complessi e più completi del daytime. Sei d'accordo con me?

Oh certo. Ho sentito cose meravigliose sui Dobson. Non li ho mai incontrati. Ma Mason era uno dei miei personaggi preferiti. In effetti, io penso che tutti e tre gli attori che hanno interpretato Mason fossero eccezionali, ma c'era qualcosa di un po’ più speciale in Lane Davies. Dovevo quindi riuscire ad averlo con me in The Bay. E’ meraviglioso nei panni del detective Mackenzie Johnson.

A parer tuo,  che cosa rendeva SB unica e speciale?

Penso di aver citato diversi motivi per cui Santa Barbara è così speciale. Così unica. Aveva una sorta di “senso maschile” che ha attratto una grande parte del pubblico maschile. General Hospital lo aveva già fatto nel periodo di Luke e Laura ma Santa Barbara seppe sviluppare meglio questo aspetto ed emergere in questo senso. Ed è certamente passata alla storia.

Kelly Capwell' recast

Che cosa non ti piace di SB? Quali critiche faresti allo show?

Penso che i troppi e numerosi recast siano stati il problema principale di Santa Barbara. Era uno show nuovo e fresco e penso che molti dei talenti che entrarono a far parte dello show si aspettassero molto. Alcuni miei amici personali che erano in Santa Barbara mi hanno riferito degli atteggiamenti da diva di alcune attrici (e non dirò di chi si tratta) e il fatto che il Produttore Esecutivo non riusciva a trovare un compromesso la MAGGIOR PARTE delle volte…insomma tutto ciò ha causato la fine dello show. Probabilmente questa è la mia più grande critica negativa. Se solo fossero andati d’accordo dietro le quinte, forse oggi potremmo ancora guardare SB.

Quali sono state le tue trame preferite?

Beh, qualsiasi cosa abbia a che fare con la Kelly Capwell interpretata da Robin Wright. Hanno scritto del materiale meraviglioso per lei. Il suo amore per Joe, la lotta di lui per riconquistarla, la sua morte la prima notte di nozze. Veri e propri classici. Io ho certamente amato i Capwell e Lionel (Nicolas Coster) era la nemesi perfetta. La sua alchimia sia con Robin (Gina) che con Louise (Augusta) era semplicemente mozzafiato.

Un altro motivo che mi ha fatto innamorare di SB è che SB non aveva paura di rischiare e osare. Ad esempio, quando hanno deciso di uccidere Mary, schiacciandola sotto il peso di una grande C. Mary era un personaggio molto amato in quel momento e una soap tende generalmente ad utilizzare i loro personaggi amati fino alla fine. E poi penso a quando Eden fu violentata da Zack (Leigh McCloskey), il ginecologo che l'ha esaminata dopo lo stupro. Che ne pensi?

Questi sono due esempi perfetti di storie davvero epiche. Santa Barbara è stata un vero e proprio classico!

Poi i Dobson tornarono nel 1991. Lo spirito di SB sembrava di rinascere, ma l'anno successivo se ne andarono di nuovo. Non ho ancora capito se furono loro ad andarsene oppure no…

Non so se posso rispondere a questa domanda in modo equo. Non ho mai lavorato in SB e non ho visto niente coi miei occhi. E’ triste quando i pezzi grossi non riescono a trovare un ambiente di lavoro confortevole.

Alcuni attori che hanno debuttato in una soap non negano il loro passato (come Julianne Moore), mentre altri sembrano vergognarsi di esso (Robin Wright). Amo Robin Wright, ma in una recente intervista lei sembrava infastidita dalle domande relative a SB. I fan soffrono questo tipo di atteggiamento / approccio ... Che ne pensi?

Beh, io certamente sono d'accordo, gli attori devono essere orgogliosi delle loro origini. Penso che Robin ha percorso molta strada da SB in poi. Ed è cresciuta enormemente come attrice. Sono sicuro che se lei ha qualche sentimento negativo nei confronti di SB, sia solo perché in fondo quelle erano briciole in confronto a quello che le viene offerto ora. Sono un grande fan di Robin e del suo lavoro. Io non sono davvero sicuro di quali siano i suoi sentimenti verso SB, ma sono sicuro che lei è abbastanza intelligente per apprezzare le sue radici.

Nel resto del mondo e specialmente in Europa SB ha avuto ottimi ascolti. Inoltre è stata la soap più premiata  e ci sono ancora decine e decine di siti dedicati a questo show, a differenza di altre soap ormai cancellate. Come si spiega questo?

Anche in questo caso, penso che il motivo sia una differenza di stile,di cultura. C'era più passione, più cultura in SB. Ed io certamente credo che gli USA non siano un paese così passionale o acculturato come invece la maggior parte dei paesi stranieri. Ma questa è solo la mia opinione.

Negli ultimi tre anni sono state cancellate quattro soap e dal 1999 nessuna nuova soap è stata più prodotta. È evidente che il genere soap è in forte declino. Non credo che la colpa sia esclusivamente da trovarsi nei costi di produzione elevati e nel successo dei reality show. Il difetto principale a mio parere è che le soap non sono stati in grado di reinventarsi. Sono uguali a sé stesse da decenni. A seguito di quali circostanze arriva il momento di cancellare una soap?

Beh, io non sono sicuro di questo. Personalmente credo che le soap non abbiano ricevuto l'attenzione che meritano da parte dei poteri forti. Negli ultimi anni le reti hanno cercato di trovare modi meno costosi per la produzione di prodotti che la gente potesse seguire. Tutto è iniziato con il processo ad O.J Simpson. Il caso è stato trasmesso in televisione e la gente era incollata davanti agli schermi. La cosa funzionava e si cavalcò quell’onda. Hanno trovato strade alternative alle soap per risparmiare denaro, producendo show giudiziari, reality show e prodotti che erano nel complesso più economici da produrre e quindi a poco a poco hanno smesso di investire nelle soap opera. Tuttavia, The BAY è ancora molto forte e faremo tutto il possibile per portarvi fiction di qualità con alcune delle vostre star preferite direttamente da Santa Barbara, Beautiful e tutte le classiche soap di oggi e di ieri.

Ed ora poche brevi domande: Qual è la tua soap preferita?

Santa Barbara, Destini e General Hospital per i motivi di cui sopra. E naturalmente THE BAY.

E la miglior soap di sempre?

Santa Barbara a mio modesto parere. E ora THE BAY.

La peggiore?

E' difficile dire quale sia la peggiore. Tutti hanno i loro momenti alti e quelli bassi. Penso che la peggiore fosse Passions. Almeno per me.

La soap più sopravvalutata?

Anche in questo caso, probabilmente Passions. Onestamente, non l’ho mai capita fino in fondo. Ha avuto un suo pubblico però, quindi chi sono io per giudicare?

La più sottovalutata?

La prima soap che mi viene in mente è "Generations". E' stata una soap di brevissima durata sulla NBC. Incentrata intorno ad un nucleo familiare afroamericano. All’epoca erano decisamente altri tempi e penso che in quel momento particolare le reti non fossero pronte ad investire in uno show i cui protagonisti principali erano di colore o forse hanno cambiato idea in corso d’opera. Non posso esserne certo perché io non ero lì, ma penso che non le sia stata data una vera e propria chance. Anche Quando si ama è stata spesso bistrattata qui negli Stati Uniti.

Ora ci puoi dire qualcosa che non è mai stato detto su SB? Qualcosa di piccante: antipatie tra gli attori? Tensioni di cui non si è discusso? Tutto ciò che desideri condividere…

Mi dispiace, non posso aiutarti. La maggior parte degli attori che conosco e con i quali ho fatto amicizia sono stati davvero molto rispettosi gli uni nei confronti degli altri e non hanno reso noto alcun pettegolezzo o gossip …Questa è una cosa molto bella da parte loro.

Pensi che esistano possibilità concrete di rivedere un giorno SB in tv oppure su dvd?

Sarebbe bello. Penso che non appena riusciranno a risolvere la questione legata ai diritti musicali, questa potrà diventare una grossa possibilità. Per quanto ne so io, questo è il loro più grande problema al momento. Sono sicuro che però ci possa essere dell’altro di cui io non sono a conoscenza.

Gregori, tu sei il creatore di un’appassionante soap indipendente: "The Bay", un successo mondiale! Ora sta andando in onda sul web la seconda stagione. Puoi raccontarci qualcosa per quelli tra di noi che ancora non hanno visto la prima stagione? Cosa succederà nella seconda stagione?

Ebbene, ho intenzione di riunire una delle coppie più amate di Santa Barbara. Sono certo che questa notizia sarà molto bene accolta tra coloro che stanno leggendo questa intervista. Lo show ruoterà attorno a più famiglie, come in SB, e inoltre insaporito con passioni, cultura, amori, romanticismo, emozioni. Vi prometto un risultato esplosivo. Il mio obiettivo è quello di creare personaggi che attirino il pubblico (ho a disposizione gli attori migliori per riuscirci) e per affascinare i fans, come in Santa Barbara, con una narrazione di tipo epico. È possibile accedere al nostro sito per maggiori dettagli e guardare la prima e la seconda stagione, cliccando qui.

Questa intervista è rivolta principalmente al pubblico italiano. Nel nostro paese, "Santa Barbara" era molto amata e seguita. Sei mai stato in Italia? Cosa sai sul nostro paese?

Sì. Conosco una parte della cultura italiana. Io sono orgoglioso delle mie origini italiane. Mio padre è nato in Calabria e ho un sacco di parenti che ancora vivono lì. Non sono mai stato in Italia, ma il vostro Paese è in cima alla lista dei posti che desidero visitare. E' emozionante per me sapere che anche gli Italiani seguono THE BAY. L’Italia, da quello che mi hanno raccontato è davvero un bellissimo paese! Non vedo l'ora di venirvi a trovare!

LILY LIGHT: FROM PREACHER TO CHEATER

R. Mattson - Lynn Clark

Imagine a funny bitch, who lost much in her life and whose main occupation is blackmail. Her name is Gina. Now imagine an evangelist preacher, always dressed in white, attractive, involved in fight against humanity’s vices such as gambling, smoking and alcoholism. Imagine that in private she loves drinking, smoking and having sex with Mason Capwell. Her name is Lily Light. Imagine a strong rivalry between Gina and Lily. What kind of link can connect two so apparently different women? Lily is the secret daughter of Gina, result of a rape. Gina believes that Lily was dead newborn. So her mother told her. Lily believes that her mother has abandoned her. So Lily tracks down Gina and she decides to approach her in an unusual way: to redeem her from her sins. Gina instinctively can not stand Lily. Imagine lightning and thunderbolts. For the role of Lily it was chosen Lynn Clark. The actress was very much like Robin Mattson and this similarity was also used in the scripts, provoking very funny moments.

R. Mattson - Paula Irvine

Unfortunately once the two women overcome their disagreements, the writers were unable to find an interesting story for her and after just four months, Lily Light left Santa Barbara. I loved very much this character that maybe was not loved by many. Bridget and Jerome Dobson then decided to bring back the character on the show after five years. But they called a different actress, younger and less like Robin Mattson, Paula Irvine. New Lily has nothing of the mad evangelist who caused years before the death of Amy Perkins and especially no one seems to remember her past. Neither Mason. Who is your favorite Lily?


 

"Never Say Never - At this time next year, we may be talking about Mason again" - Lane Davies (from Soap Opera Update, 1991)

As far as my career, I just shot a pilot in April with Teri Garr called GOOD AND EVIL. We're going into production in July. I play the character of Eric, who is involved with Teri Garr. The character is a cardiologist. He's also sexually adventurous, shall we say, falling in love with the good sister at first sight while still being involved with the evil one. It's a half-hour sitcom wit a live audience, something that I'm very familiar with. It's a perfect blend for me--it's like theatre with television money.

Having spent a year-and-a half out of the market--almost two years, seeing that I traveled for seven months--I've found that soap notoriety doesn't really translate into nighttime, unless you're somebody like Susan Lucci, somebody that is just so huge in daytime that you can't help but know who she is. I have found that while some casting people may be aware of you because of the soap, having been on a soap doesn't help you a great deal where the producers and directors who do the hiring are concerned. In al honesty, I think the guy going in next to you has just a much of a chance.

Traveling around the world taught me a lot about myself. Europe was wonderful because SANTA BARBARA is so popular in different countries there. The Third World travel that Todd McKee and myself did, in Africa and India, was incredible. We did Kenya, Israel, Nepal, Egypt...I learned that I don't need nearly as much as I did before. It sort of grabbed my L.A. values, turned them upside down and shook them by the heels. When I saw how little some people are perfectly happy with, it was quite an awakening. I also finally had time to relax and take a look at my life and what was really important...and what I thought would be important for the next couple of decades. I had been in a classic workaholic mode--doing the soap during the day and plays at night-- and wasn't giving myself time to look at myself. I think that's where workaholism may come from; you don't really want to take the time to look at yourself, so you get yourself so busy there's no time for anything else.

A Martinez

Fatherhood has also changed my life, to say the least. I have a son, Thatcher Lee. Thatcher's a family name and Lee is the name of my best friend out here, and one of my best friends back in Georgia. He's eight-months-old, and in that time, he's centered my life in a lot of ways. It's hard to talk about children when you're a first-time father without gushing. I mean I'll start to sound like A Martinez if I'm not careful. And then A would never let me forget it because I made such fun of him when he was gushy about his child. It's really more of a non-verbal state of mind anyway...

I'm still very appreciative of the fans' response to my portrayal of Mason. I hope that never changes. If anything, it worries me that having not been in front of an audience as I was for five years on SANTA BARBARA, I haven't really been visible--other than a few nighttime shots--to people that made a real point of letting me know how much they care about my work. So I'm hoping those people will come along with me into nighttime so that we can re-establish the relationship.

Terry Lester

Every couple of months, I'll click on SANTA BARBARA to see who's working and what's happening with it, but I haven't sat down and watched an entire episode. I think it's unfortunate what happened with Terry Lester, because I have great respect for his work (we have plans for a project in the future together). One of the reasons that I left the show, besides just mental heath, was that I thought the character of Mason had been homogenized, that the writers at that time had lost touch with who Mason really was and what drove him. The character had become uninteresting to play. Nobody really warned Terry, so Terry didn't know to protect Mason from the increasing homogenization. He was becoming domestic as opposed to an active character--making trouble and making things happen. The character became increasingly more reactive and helpless to the situations around him.

As for returning to SANTA BARBARA, I never say never, but I think the Dobsons are perfectly happy with Gordon Thomson, and Gordon seems willing to be there for some time. But never say never...at this time next year, we may be talking about Mason again.

Paul Johansson

I still stay in contact with a few cast members. In fact, we just had a little birthday party yesterday for John Allen Nelson's (ex-Warren) little year-old boy. My son was there. Nick Coster's 10-month-old boy was there. And Judith McConnell brought her little girl. Todd McKee and I were so sick of each other after seven months of traveling, we didn't speak for two months. And we got along fine; we were just each afraid that the other would wear one of the same shirts been wearing for the past seven months...And Paul Johansson (ex-Greg) played Romeo in 'Romeo And Juliet' for me last summer. I think Paul, like Todd, never really got a fair shot to show what they could do on the show. I think they're both much better actors than they got to demonstrate.

My favorite storyline was the one with Harley Kozak as Mary. I still have warm memories about that five years later. I hated the Lily Light storyline...that would probably be down toward the bottom of the heap. I had a lot of fun with Sonny Sprockett. I thought that he should have been much more dangerous and less buffoonish, but you only have limited control over what they write. It certainly was a change of pace after years of playing Mason. It gave me something different to do.

Is this the happiest time of my life? Yes. I can think of wonderful times in my past, but I can't think of any time when I felt quite as centered or as optimistic about the future or simply thankful for what I've got.


Pics #1,4,5 are from Capridge.com